Chapter Text
The transport stuttered along the rocky path. Out the barred window, the sun gave way to the humidity of a dark cave. Number Five released a sigh of relief as the light finally stopped hurting her eyes.
She had not been told where they were being taken. None of them ever were. None of them knew… well, anything; what they did, they had learned on their own: to feed and to survive.
Despite their situation, Number Five rarely cried. Not because she had accepted it— most of them had simply run out of tears a long time ago. It was pointless to resist or escape, but they couldn’t help the desire to still fight back sometimes.
It felt good. The consequences did not.
We have stopped, she realised. Here it goes.
The doors opened, and two guards of the Emperor’s Coven began taking the basilisks outside. Five’s yellow eyes widened at the sight of the cavern: the walls glistened blue, strange branches grew from them and it reeked of magic like she had never felt before. It was all around, and as powerful as it was unknown.
“Get the specimens over here!” Called the Golden Guard. “And be sure to stay clear of the tunnels. These things can easily slip away in an environment like this.”
“Yes, sir!”
How long has it been?
The hum of magic had become an irritating buzz by the third test. This substance (‘Titan's Blood’, they had called it) was far more volatile and strong than anything else the basilisks had ever had to consume, which luckily meant they were allowed brief rests every few hours.
“Psst! Vee!”
“Vy?” She glanced around anxiously. “We’re not supposed to talk to each oth—”
“Forget about that! I think we might have a plan to escape…”
Vee’s ears perked with hope, then folded skeptically.
“Just c’mere, yeah? It’s at least worth a shot.”
Apparently, the Titan's Blood had reacted strangely on Trinn, forming a projectile that the walls had reflected all around. It had kept the guards distracted for a good while and caused injuries on one of them that would’ve been a serious problem if not for their healing magic.
“What about that one?” Vee inquired, glancing at the Golden Guard.
“He’s good, but he can’t be everywhere at once, can he?”
“H-Hang on— are you suggesting we use someone as bait?”
“Nope!” Trinn reassured Bis with a grin. “We’ve got that covered! I think Ivy had a similar reaction, though weaker.” She nodded in confirmation. “If we both shoot at the same time while you guys escape, they’re gonna have to split up.”
Ivy exhaled nervously. “We’ll have to be fast, but we just need to lose them for a moment. After that, we shift into guards and go straight for the stream on the left tunnel.”
“You know, I’ve actually been hearing the water since before we first got here,” Bis mentioned. “I am pretty sure it leads outside. Maybe we can meet back out there?”
It was… not entirely a bad idea. Still, she was unsure.
“We’ve already voted on it, Vee.” Lyne’s voice carried a hint of sombreness, but it still felt caring. “We all wish to leave. The only thing left to know is: are you coming?”
“…What if we’re caught?” She worried. “I can’t begin to imagine what they’d do to us…”
Vy held her hand, meeting her eyes with a hopeful gaze “Then we just gotta make sure we do it right.”
Five’s gaze shifted between her siblings; they all looked back expectantly. If there was a reasonable chance to live free together…
“Fine. I’m in.”
One hour later, everyone was ready. They waited until the guards were distracted.
Vee clutched the stolen vial of Titan's Blood at her hip. They were all taking one with them; they would need a good reserve of magic if they wanted to stay clear from the Emperor, and right now they couldn’t take any chances.
Trinn and Ivy played their part perfectly, with Trinn ensuring he drew most of the attention towards himself so that Ivy’s lesser affinity with this magic wouldn’t make her fall behind.
Blasts of blue and white ricocheted dangerously all around the cavern, followed by a reckless guard’s spell that accidentally helped the chaos.
Trinn ran off… that was the sign. Now!
Vee slithered swiftly, sticking close to the wall in order to sneak away more easily. She could hear the running water behind the stone, and two familiar voices alongside it.
“I-I can’t believe it worked! Come on, Lyne, we gotta get out now!”
“Go! I’ll join you guys once everyone is safe!”
Then I better hurry, she thought. It should be just around that corner.
“You were absolutely amazing, Trinn!”
“Thank ya sis, I’ll see you on the other side!”
Almost there. Was she being followed? She looked over her shoulder.
Guards! I gotta shift, NOW!
“Hey, you!”
“Who? Oh! Yeah, no, Number Five’s not here. Any luck back there?”
“Steve got hit by his own spell… But I think I just heard two of the subjects over here.”
“Uh… N-No, it was over there!” She pointed towards the opposite tunnel.
“Huh? I’d swear it came from this direction.”
“…Echo?”
“…”
“…”
“Yeah, I’m not sure why I didn’t think of that, actually. Let’s go!”
“I’ll stay here! Just in case they, um, try to use this way.”
“Good idea!”
Vee released a breath as the guard disappeared from sight, relaxing her shifted form. That was definitely closer than she would’ve liked…
“Ivy, you made it! I was so worried when you—!”
She turned a corner and saw her panting. “G… Golden Guard…! He’s after Vy!”
“What?!”
At the end of the tunnel, Vee caught a glimpse of the Guard’s red staff crystal glimmering in the shadows.
“You two go!” She called, shifting into something as she dashed ahead.
“Vee? No way! I’m not leaving you tw—!”
“I-I’ll meet you, just leave now!”
She didn’t let them decide as she apparently shoved her sisters into the water with some sort of wing on her back.
The Golden Guard came to a shocked halt, but not without first getting a hold of the younger basilisk. “I wouldn’t come any closer if I were you.”
“S-Sis!”
Vee froze in the spot. The coward… What now?
“Gotta hand it to you, I’m impressed. To think something like you could transform into an owl beast… Is it because of the Titan’s Blood?”
Her feathers bristled with protective anger. She couldn’t attack, it would be too dangerous for Vy. And this Guard was clearly not intimidated by whatever the heck she had turned into.
“Ah, well. I guess we’ll find out soon enough! At least we’ve still got two of you.”
“Don’t you dare hurt her!”
“Who, this one? Now that’s interesting…”
Maybe if she transformed into something smaller? No, the magic within wasn’t letting her. Now that she had let it out, it was boiling with rage.
“You seem smart, Number Five— Well, relatively,” he scoffed. “Thing is, the Emperor is not gonna be happy to learn you got away. And I’m pretty sure he won’t love knowing that it happened with me in charge, either.”
“If you’re trying to make a point, you should do it before my siblings decide to come back for us. Do you know how much Titan’s Blood you gave us?”
He laughed and walked towards her defiantly. “Ooooh, feisty! But you’re right. Which helps for my deal: come with me peacefully and I’ll let you both live. I can tell Belos that the other subjects couldn’t handle the Titan’s Blood, and I’m sure he’ll have big plans for you. That way, none of us gets in trouble. Sound good?”
Vee hesitated. As long as the Guard had Vy, there weren’t many alternatives available.
“I…”
“Vee, wait…!”
“I accept.”
The basilisk reverted into a hybrid form closer to her true one. “I… can’t shift much more than this right now.”
Releasing Number Six, he leaned in to get a closer look. “Interesting… We’ll have to keep studying these effects. And hey, glad we could understand each other. Maybe you are smart after all.”
“Maybe I am.”
She didn’t have time to regret how she suddenly spread her wing, knocking him down to the river. She didn’t have time to regret that she hadn’t thought it through as he grabbed her sister’s tail.
“Oh, no, no, Vy!”
Vee lunged forward just in time. The Guard tried to call for his staff, but it was already down into the rapidly flowing water. “No!”
With a clawed hand, she swung down at him. “Let her go!”
He was able to dodge the first blow, but the second scratched his mask badly. “Hey— Hey, get off me!”
Hurried footsteps: guards from the Emperor’s Coven. But the Golden Guard still had Vy in his grasp. “Vee, you gotta hurry! They’re coming!”
In the struggle, none of them realised how the youngest’s vial slipped from the string at her hip. It wouldn’t have mattered, as none could’ve known what was going to happen after it shattered against the rocks and dripped down into the water.
Suddenly, the basilisk and witch felt far heavier. It was as if they were being actively sucked downwards by something. Below, Vee caught a glimpse of it.
The water was glowing like a night sky, painted in black and stars as a greenish vortex spun. It was surreal. It was beautiful. It was growing.
And now, it was swallowing all three of them.
Vibrant greenery surrounded Vee when she opened her eyes. The place was damp, with tall shadows growing as the sun set. She had a headache.
Vee stood, dazed, and was immediately stung by a sharp pain on her side. Deep cuts oozed blood, dripping on the dirt and mixing into the puddle of blue that painted the grass.
There went their last vial. But another concern clouded over this one.
“Vy? Are you there?” She called with a hush, still wary of the Golden Guard.
“Vee… H-Help…”
The basilisk ran through unfamiliar plants to find her sister. But she was not alone.
Before her towered a beast twice their size, covered in brown fur that collared at its neck like a mane. A pair of bizarre horns crowned its head and branched upwards in unnatural shapes. Was it angry? Was it dangerous? Was it magical?
Something else roared not far behind them, luckily spooking the strange demon. But it also meant that something worse was near.
Vy released a trembling breath. “I saw the Guard earlier, he was running from what made that noise. W-We gotta go while he’s distracted.”
Vee nodded and took her hand in her own. “Can you shift?”
“Um… Yes, sure.”
“Good, because my vial shattered on me.” She uncovered her wound, eliciting a sharp gasp from Vy.
“Oh, Titan…”
“I-It’s okay, I can hold on for now,” she reassured her, “but I used up a lot of Titan’s Blood back there. I’m gonna have to trust you to get us out of here.”
Approaching footsteps gave way to a figure in a white cloak springing from the foliage, followed by an aggressive feline. “Leave me alone, you misshapen… cat-thing!”
With a yelp, Vy transformed into a slitherbeast and let Vee climb on her back. The Emperor’s right hand evaded an attack just in time to glance their way.
“Hey! You better stop right—!”
His voice faded behind the two basilisks as they disappeared into the night.
At the top of a tower in a sentient house, a seer’s dreams are tinted green. He’s not new to this, but it’s noteworthy nevertheless, as its meaning is clear: a premonition.
Of all types of vision, dream prophecies are the ones he personally hates the most: confusing meshes of reality and interpretation, far less clear than normal visions and littered with metaphors and symbolism. This one is no different.
Two snakes and a young hunter run through the forest. Cut. The hunter stumbles into a cave, now appearing to be hurt. Cut. One of the snakes seems wounded; it curls around a blurred-out shape. Cut. The moon rises and falls.
The seer awakes with a jolt, sweating.
“Wait, seriously? That’s it?”
He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, reaching for a notepad at his nightstand.
“Snakes and a hunter. How’m I supposed to interpret that? Let’s see…” He taps the notepad with the pencil. “Someone has dirt on two liars?” He scratches it over. “Nah. The hunter looked menacing. Maybe the snake symbolism’s not personality, but something else… Hmm… If the hunter is bad, then— Wait, no. They were a kid, right? And what about the second snake…?”
He sighs again, setting the pencil and notepad aside. “Y’know what, it’s too early for this. I’ll figure it out in the morning.”
Through the rest of the night, he has two regular dreams, but emerald snakes glow in the corner of his vision and the kid watches from the background, with no uniform and disarmed. And, just before morning wakes him up, a familiar face flickers with a green tinge, too quickly to make out who it is.
Hunter watched the light glyph’s magic fade.
“Not again…” he sighed, drawing a slightly bigger glyph that would last longer than five minutes.
“This is pathetic. Where the hell is that search party, for Titan’s sake?!”
The beast from last night hadn’t hurt him, but it did ruin his uniform and chase him into the edge of a cliff. He had found a cave where he could rest, but his twisted ankle kept him stuck here and forced him to sacrifice a chunk of his cloak into a makeshift sling.
But the worst wasn’t his injuries, or having to wait, or knowing that the basilisks were all on the run. The worst was the guilt he felt every time he drew a glyph. Glyph magic had only ever been used by wild witches, so he was essentially using wild magic right now. He, the Golden Guard, betraying his uncle and Emperor like this!
What if the search party found him with an orb of light? The thought had convinced him to let the cave go dark a few times, but that was too dangerous; so he stuck to small glyphs that didn’t last too long.
“Ugh, I can’t breathe with this thing…” he grumbled, taking off his jagged mask and dropping it aside.
This was supposed to be an easy mission: watch over the recruits and ensure nothing goes sideways. He’d been excited about it, since he’d be able to study living basilisks and experiment with the most powerful magic there is.
But it didn’t just go sideways— it went backwards and straight into the mud.
It had been hours already. Hunter’s training had prepared him to last for long periods of time if he got stranded, but none of the creatures here were familiar to him. Why couldn’t the books back home include a glyph for ice magic, too?
Well, he did hear a river nearby earlier. But would it be safe? If only he had his staff…
“I really can’t just wait here for too long, though. I haven’t found any signs of the Titan, so who knows how far the castle is.”
He had to take a risk.
But that didn’t mean he would take any chances. With no paper to work with, Hunter picked up a stick and held his Bloodstained cloak to prepare a few gly—
“Wait, why is there no Titan’s Blood?” He scrambled to take off the cape, turning it over in search of that blue liquid. “Only the hem? Half my cloak was covered in it when I…”
Hang on. Glyphs are the Titan’s magic, and His power births theirs. If there was far less Titan’s Blood on him, couldn’t that mean it had been consumed?
“No… No way!”
He stood from his hiding spot and limped back to the cave’s entrance. The morning sky was blue. The trees were all bright green. The towering Knee was nowhere to be seen.
Hunter felt the air leave his lungs.
“This is not the Boiling Isles.”